A Stroll Down Diagon Alley
by Gibby Winsey Stan
Summary: Mayve this is only G. But anyway this is G/H. There are so few on this site. Please pretty please read and review, this is our first fanfic. We hope you like it!
1. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: We: Gibby, Winsey, and Stan do not own any of these characters. JK Rowling does, so please don't sue us. We have no money. Thanks! Please read and let us know what you think. Also we don't own the Britney Spears song "Oops...I did it again" (thank God). But anyway read and review, we love reviews. THANKS!  
  
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A Stroll Down Diagon Alley  
  
It was a beautiful day in Diagon Alley; Ginny Weasley was shopping with her brothers, Ron, Fred, and George for their supplies for Hogwarts. Fred and George were treating Ginny and Ron to some ice cream at Florean Fortescue's. As they were about to leave they noticed Harry Potter staring into the Quidditch supply store window. Ron ran over to say hello as Ginny became extremely interested in her History of Gory Goblin Rebellion Book. Unfortunately for her, she didn't notice the chocolate on her nose from the gigantic hot fudge sundae she had just devoured.   
"So, Harry, how was your summer?" Ron asked.   
"About as fun as it can be with a family like the Dursleys." Harry said sarcastically. "Actually, it was quite funny watching Dudley attempt to play soccer. He was trying to impress some girl he had a crush on, but I am afraid he might actually CRUSH her."  
"Haha, Gee, he must be terrible!" Ron laughed.  
"No, he plays goalie and he takes up the whole goal. His team was undefeated actually," replied Harry matter-of-factly. The two boys doubled over with laughter. Just then, Fred and George strolled up, with Ginny creeping behind them.   
"Oy, Harry! Wassupp?" called the twins.   
"Hey Fred, George! ...hi Ginny," Harry said as he peered around the twins. "So have you guys found a new goalie for the Quidditch team yet?"  
"No, we are still looking but Ron may try out. Anyway, wanna go kick Malfoy in the arse? Here he comes..." said George.  
"Right," said Fred. "I could smell him at Fortescue's, apparently so can his mother." Fred was right, whenever Harry saw Mrs. Malfoy she seemed to smell something awful. Mrs. Malfoy stepped inside a shop as Draco continued walking.  
"Well, well, well if it isn't the destitute Weasley's and their famous potty pal." Sneered Malfoy.  
"Learn a new word over the summer, Malfoy, destitute seems to have too many syllables for a brainless git like yourself." Spat Ron.  
"Weasley, I knew your family was poor, but are you too poor for napkins or just hygiene?" scoffed Malfoy ignoring the previous comment.  
"What are you talking about?" Harry asked as he balled his fists under his robe.  
"Your girlfriend Potter, has she been nosing around in the streets for food again. You should really break that habit during the day Ginny, people can see you." Called Malfoy pointing at the chocolate adorning Ginny's nose.  
At this red-faced Ginny covered her nose and ran down Diagon Alley whimpering. Fred, George and Ron instantly brandished their wands with only a minor incident involving a squeaking wand, which was immediately thrown at Malfoy. Harry was torn between casting the "talk-like-Britney-Spears" curse or running after Ginny to comfort her. He decided that the twins and Ron were more than capable of handling Malfoy as they cast the "sing-and-dance-like-Britney-Spears" curse so he sprinted in pursuit of Ginny.  
Harry ran for many blocks. When he almost given up he heard a small sigh coming from a dark side street. Harry turned and saw Ginny wiping her nose feverishly with the sleeve of her robe. The chocolate had long since gone and her nose was now a bright crimson. Harry softly approached her and sat down beside her.  
"Are you okay" Harry whispered putting his arm around her. Ginny, a little startled nodded sadly and slowly pulled her hand from her nose. "Everyone knows Malfoy is a dumb jerk." Harry continued reassuringly. Ginny looked doubtful for a moment, but then they heard something rather alarming and yet amusing at the same time. Coming up the street was a battered and very bruised Draco Malfoy, who was frolicking about daftly and singing (if you could call it that) what was unmistakably "Oops I Did It Again" However between the verses he was muttering something which Harry could only make out to be "Please! Make it stop. Shoot me. Let me die. Stop this song!"  
Harry and Ginny laughed until they could hardly breathe anymore. Finally, Harry pulled himself to his feet and offered his hand to Ginny. Blushing, she took it timidly. As Harry pulled her up, she stumbled on a tone and into him. He caught her, but this did not stop Ginny from laughing awkwardly and blushing even more. Harry, on the other hand, did not laugh. He gazed into her soft brown eyes for a moment, overcome by his strong feelings for her. Harry gently took clasped her hand in his, and bending down, kissed her softly.   
At this precise moment Ron, Fred and George sauntered by, apparently pleased with themselves and the overwhelming success of their curse. Upon laying eyes on their sister kissing Harry, they chuckled, but then looked away. Ginny, meanwhile was too wrapped up in wishing the moment would never end to notice them. But when Harry and Ginny finally broke apart, she did spot her brothers. And she would have been terribly uncomfortable that they had seen her, except that Harry was still holding her hand, making Ginny feel as though she would never be unhappy again.   
  
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A/N: Well this is our first fic, so let us know what you think. We hope you enjoyed it. Please pretty please review! Thanks and have a great day.  
  
  



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Disclaimer: we don't own any of these characters. Please read and REVIEW. We hope you enjoy it. Also this is the sequel to "A Stroll Down Diagon Alley" so it would be good if you read that first.  
  
  
Part two: Trouble at the Leaky Cauldron  
  
Harry and Ginny were almost regretting that they had kissed as Fred, George, and Ron teased them relentlessly, when an angry Mr. Malfoy appeared, shouting loudly.  
  
"WEASLEYS! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SON? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH YOU'VE SET ME BACK? YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET AWAY WITH THIS! I'LL SEE..." Whatever Mr. Malfoy would see, the Weasleys and Harry would not find out, because they had long since disappeared down the street. They only stopped when Ron nearly knocked someone over.   
  
"Gosh, Ron, what's wrong? Why are you running?" Hermione asked as she regained her balance.  
"Oh, sorry, Hermione. We had to escape from Mr. Malfoy, who was ready to knock our blocks off." Ron answered apologetically.  
"What did you do this time?" Hermione clucked disapprovingly.  
"It was actually quite funny. Even YOU might have enjoyed it!" Harry laughed. "Draco was being his lovely, pleasant self so we decided to school him in the arts of singing and dancing." At this, Fred and George began to sing:  
"Oops, we did it again,   
We cursed Draco bad,  
He got lost in the steps  
And danced down the street,  
Ooh baby baby!"  
  
Hermione was still confused, until Ginny filled her in on the details of that morning.   
"Ohhhhhhhhh," Hermione said, attempting to stifle her laughter. "Well, no wonder Mr. Malfoy was angry. That would be terrible!"  
"Yeah, terribly funny you mean!" said George, clutching his side. "But what did he mean when he said 'we set him back'?"  
"I'm not sure about that. But I am sure that I'm starving!" said Fred. "Do you want to come to the Leaky Cauldron, Hermione?"  
"Yeah, that's where I'm staying tonight. My parents dropped me off." Hermione answered.  
"Hey, us too! Our parents are doing some SECRET ministry work!" replied Ron.   
  
  
As the gang sat eating at the Leaky Cauldron, Fred and George excused themselves suddenly and whispered something in Tom, the innkeeper's, ear. Tom smiled as the twins ran off to their room upstairs, winking at Harry and Ginny. Hermione looked bewildered as she glanced around the table, and Ron began laughing uncontrollably. A few minutes later, Tom appeared carrying a heart-shaped chocolate cake. Ginny's face suddenly turned a dark ruby red, and Harry kicked Ron in annoyance. Ron kept laughing, but managed to say:  
  
"Come on, Hermione. Let's leave these two love birds alone." But before they could leave, Ginny got up, mumbling about an allergy to chocolate, and ran to her room.   
"Well, if she's not gonna stay, we might as well." Said Ron as soon as he had caught his breath "We can help you eat this scrumptious cake, Harry."  
"What was all that about anyway?" questioned Hermione.   
"Oh that's right, you don't know Hermione. It seems that Harry here finds it fun to kiss my little sister in darkened side streets while she's emotionally vulnerable. Thanks bud." Ron grinned as he slapped Harry on the back  
"What? When? Why didn't someone tell me sooner? Harry I didn't know you liked Ginny. What happened this summer?" Hermione was clearly even more confused than before. Harry could only redden and mumble incoherently in response.  
"Yeah Hermione," Ron interrupted "What did happen this summer? You didn't go visit Vicky did you? I mean the big oaf does still like you doesn't he?" Ron tried (and failed miserably) to ask those questions as nonchalantly as possible. At this Hermione covered her mouth with her hand, leapt up, and ran to the room she was sharing with Ginny.  
"What's with her?" A puzzled Ron asked.  
"No idea, but maybe you should stop teasing everyone, Ron," said Harry rather crossly. "I'll go upstairs and find out what's going on."  
"Ok." With that both boys headed upstairs, Ron went to the room they were sharing and Harry went to knock on the girl's door. Ginny answered and went pink in the cheeks almost instantly.  
"Oh hi Harry."  
"Hey Ginny," Harry smiled, half embarrassed, half delighted to see Ginny again. "Hey is Hermione ok? She left near tears and Ron and I were worried."  
"Well...um, she's had a rough summer. Just be extra nice to her, ok? Tell Ron too. I think I'm gonna turn in now. Goodnight Harry."  
" 'Night" Harry murmured as he quickly kissed her cheek. As he turned and walked down the corridor, Harry heard the distinct sound of a teenage girl sighing contentedly.   
  
  
  
LATER THAT NIGHT.....  
  
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK! Someone was banging on the door to Ron and Harry's bedroom.   
"Wha? Go 'way." Croaked Ron  
"PLEASE, open the door!" Ginny's hysterical voice pleaded from the other side of the door. Harry bounded from his bed to the door and flung it open.  
"Ginny, Hermione, what on earth is the matter?" Harry asked as he placed his hands on Ginny's shoulders to calm her. The girls looked white and terrified. Ginny was shaking and Hermione's eyes were red and shot, it looked as though she'd been crying again.  
  
"Harry Mis-mister Malfoy's downstairs yelling at the innkeeper. He keeps asking where we are. He's almost made it upstairs a few times now. He won't leave. What should we do?"  
"You two stay here. Ron, don't let anyone leave the room until I come back. If you hear Malfoy coming, lock the door and stay in the room. Ok?"  
"Be careful Harry." Ginny whimpered. Harry nodded and crept slowly down the corridor. The closer he got to Ginny and Hermione's room, the more he could hear Malfoy's rants. Finally he reached the end of the corridor and peered down the stairs and saw a livid Mr. Malfoy shrieking at Tom, the innkeeper.   
  
"Now this is the last time I am going to ask you! WHERE ARE THEY? Those little brats have caused more trouble than they know. They have set me back and wasted my time. My son and I needed to do something VERY crucial tonight. But he was completely useless because of those Weasleys and their confounded curse. Now where are they?!!!" As Lucius Malfoy ceased his incensed ravings, he reached for his wand.  
"All right sir, I thought we could be adult about it, but I guess not. I will not tell you where they are and I cannot let you go upstairs. But I will do one thing." Tom replied in such a calm tone, it seemed to enrage Mr. Malfoy even more.  
"And what it exactly are you going to do?" Mr. Malfoy asked, breathing hard. At those words Tom put some kind of stunning curse on Mr. Malfoy, who promptly fell backward onto the floor. Tom then walked over to him and pulled the currently unconscious Malfoy outside onto the street. Harry watched this scene for a few more moments and then returned to his room. He quickly sent Ginny and Hermione back to their room, telling them Malfoy was gone and everything was all right. He then filled Ron in on what had happened downstairs.  
  
"Weird," Ron yawned. "Wonder what he was talking about. Oh well I'm exhausted, but we can talk about it tomorrow." With that Ron fell asleep. Harry wished he could have followed suit. However the picture of Mr. Malfoy yelling furiously with that murderous glint in his eye, made it very difficult. Eventually though, sheer exhaustion won out over a troubled mind and Harry finally fell asleep.   
  
  
  
A/N: ok that's the second part. We're planning to make this around ten parts, that is if all of y'all are still interested. Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed "A Stroll Down Diagon Alley" And we promise Britney Spears will NEVER be mentioned again. We wrote the first part when we were a little out of it. Anyway please please please please REVIEW so you can tell us what you thought and give us any ideas about upcoming parts. The third part should be up Friday or Saturday, maybe earlier. Thanx again and remember "to read is human, to review divine" and we'll love you for it.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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A/N: ok this is part four and we hate to beg but please review. It is really disheartening that so many people have read thus series, but so few have reviewed, so please let us know what you think. And sorry this part took so long. Homework is evil. And duh, we don't own any of these characters. Enjoy and please review. Thanx!  
  
  
  
  
Part Four- October: Strangers on the Grounds  
  
It seemed that in a blink of an eye, September had ended and the crisp breezes that signaled the beginning of October had arrived. Harry was delighted about this. September had been far too stressful what with school starting and all of the confusion he was feeling about Ginny. However he couldn't dwell on that for long. Gryffindor's first Quidditch match was fast approaching and practices had become more demanding and frequent since they did have a new keeper to train.  
"All right team, good practice," Fred called at the end of one evening scrimmage. "If we can play like that in all of our games this year, we might just win the Cup again."   
"Anyway we ended practice a little early tonight to talk to all of you about something of GREAT importance," George interjected. "As all of you know the Halloween feast is coming up this week."  
"Right," continued Fred. "And well George and I have something planned for the feast. We just thought we uh might warn you to, well how shall I put this?" Ron and Harry exchanged amused looks. Angelina, Katie, and Alicia however, seemed rather apprehensive.  
"Look, just avoid the Slytherin table at all costs."   
"Yeah, but we didn't say anything all right? Good. Well great practice. Bye!" and with that the twins were off. They bounded toward the castle whispering and laughing rather maniacally. Harry and Ron couldn't give much though to what exactly the twins might have planned. During the next week the teachers gave them so much homework, one might have though that the teachers believed a holiday was a signal the students would be relaxing too much.   
"And we can't have that." Snape sneered during the last Potions class before the feast. "I don't want your precious little minds becoming unproductive over the weekend. So you will all complete the Inflammation Potion shown in the back of your books." Hermione's hand shot up. "And no Miss Granger, I will not be providing the skunked porcupines. You will all have to procure those for yourselves." The class groaned as Snape leered malevolently as he dismissed the class.  
"Can you believe it?!" shrieked Ron. "We have to 'procure' our own skunked porcupines. Those things are the most horrid, filthy, repellent, sickening creatures on the face of the planet."  
"Besides Snape you mean." Hermione added chortling. Ron seemed caught off guard by this remark. Hermione hardly ever insulted a teacher, even if it was Snape. He smiled at her for a moment then said, "Yeah I guess. Why are you, I don't know, cheerfully evil all of a sudden?"  
"Me? Evil? I don't know Ron. Maybe you and Harry are starting to rub off on me."  
"What do you mean by that?" exclaimed Ron in mock anger.  
"Oh nothing." Hermione giggled, playfully punching Ron in the arm as they climbed through the portrait hole. Before Ron could retaliate, Hermione had run up to the girls' dormitory. Harry noticed that Ron seemed dazed for a moment, which didn't bother him, because it gave Harry the chance to smile warmly at Ginny, across the room, free from Ron's taunts. Ginny smiled back as her cheeks blossomed pink. However before Harry could make it across the common room to talk to her, Fred and George appeared, trying very hard to stifle their laughter.  
"We just wanted to remind you two to avoid the Slytherin's tonight. You have been warned. Bwa ha ha ha." And with that mad fit of laughter the twins were off. Harry looked around for Ginny, but she had gone up to her dorm with her friends, Emma, Aurelia, and Sahara. Harry was then resigned to playing wizard chess with Ron until Hermione came back downstairs, about an hour later and they all set off for the Halloween feast.   
  
As the trio entered the Great Hall, the breath caught in their throats. The Hall looked magnificently frightening. The bewitched ceiling was the color of midnight except for the luminescent moon, glowing sliver in the northwest corner. Hanging from the walls were eerily vivid tapestries, each depicting a rather gruesome part of magical history. Black candles hovered over each of the tables casting a ghostly radiance across the room. The ghosts themselves, soaring here and there between swarms of bats made the scene even more perfect for Halloween. And on top of it all the temperature was almost too chilly for comfort.   
"Wow." Hermione finally squeaked. "This is really...wow." With that eloquent statement, they all strolled over to the Gryffindor table and sat down. Hermione and Ron began to make conversation about their strange surroundings, but Harry wasn't listening. He was trying very hard to peer over the head of the crowd now entering the Hall, hoping to spot Ginny. Harry beamed as soon s he saw her, and she quickly approached the table and took the chair next to him.  
"Hi." She practically whispered.  
"Hi. So how was your day?" Harry replied rather sheepishly. Before Ginny could answer, Ron had started in on his favorite game: Let's make fun of Harry and Ginny.   
"So how's the happy couple?" He inquired smirking evilly. Harry tried to think of something witty to say. It was really annoying having Ron interrupt every time he wanted to talk to Ginny. Harry desperately wanted to figure out what had happened between himself and Ginny seeing as he hadn't stopped thinking about it for nearly two months now. But more importantly, Harry wanted to know if there was a possibility of anything else happening. But before he could express his frustrations toward Ron, a loud belch erupted from the Slytherin table.  
There was a common "Ew gross!" from the other three tables. Professor McGonagall was fast approaching the table to tell off the offender, Vincent Crabbe.  
"Crabbe! What in Merlin's whiskers are you thinking? Have you no manners." A hyena style laugh from Malfoy and a loud hiccup from Goyle punctuated this statement.   
"What pray tell is so funny Malfoy?" McGonagall continued, rounding on Draco. Before he could answer, Samuel Warrington, a Slytherin 7th year stood up and punched him square in the nose. Malfoy just laughed even more as Warrington yelled: "Don't laugh at the professor. Are you alright Professor?" he asked, gazing longingly at McGonagall.  
"Yes fine," she answered puzzled. "What on Earth is going on here?" Everyone else in the Great Hall wanted to know the answer to that question as well. Well everyone except the twins. They were laughing so hard, Harry though they might stop breathing.   
"You two didn't have anything to do with this, did you?" Hermione asked staring at them.   
"Off the record, obviously." Fred replied. "And just wait. Its gonna get MUCH better."  
"What did you do?" Ron asked.  
"He he. Well we've been making potions all year and hiding them in our dorm." George explained. "We just wanted to experiment with the effects of using the Imbalance, Burping, Love, Hiccupping, and Laughing Potions in Conjunction."   
"Yeah how could we resist this opportunity?" Fred continued. "We snuck out of our last class today and sprinkled our lovely mix in all the food set to go to the Slytherin table." As he finished this last sentence, the whole of Slytherin House leapt out of their chairs and half of them promptly fell over again, the symptoms of the Imbalance Potion setting in. Every one of the Slytherins was either scratching furiously, chasing their 'true loves' around the table, guffawing and burping loudly, or trying desperately to drown their hiccups with water, which was rather difficult, when they couldn't stand up for more than about 3 seconds without becoming disoriented and landing on the floor. Chaos was breaking out everywhere as people gathered to get a better look and teachers ran over, trying in vain to take control. Harry acted quickly.  
"Come on!" he whispered to Ginny, seizing her hand.  
"Wait, where are we going?" she asked as he pulled her toward the door.   
"We need to talk." he replied as he led her down the corridor. "And without Ron pestering us."  
"OK, but if you want to avoid Ron, we should go this way." She said, pointing down a small lonely corridor that led outside. Harry smiled at her quick thinking. If Ron wanted to follow them, which he undoubtedly would, he would have obviously taken the path Harry had been taking. In no time, they were outside, and Harry was leading Ginny to one of the gardens.   
  
Meanwhile in the Great Hall Ron had just noticed the conspicuous absence of both his sister and his best friend.  
"Hey Hermione" he called "Notice anyone missing?" Hermione looked around and grinned.   
"That's so sweet." She sighed.  
"Sweet, what are you talking about? What happened to the evil Hermione of this afternoon?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"What do you think? This is obviously the perfect opportunity to torment both of them some more. Are you in?" Hermione knew it was wrong to bother Harry, it annoyed him so much. Yet the chance to search the dark deserted castle and grounds with Ron was to tempting.  
"I'm in." With that, they were off and in no time had stepped outside the main doors, on the opposite side of the castle from Ginny and Harry.  
  
Harry, for his part was trying very hard to think of how to begin with Ginny. She went first though.  
"Harry I think it should be clear by now that I really like you. I just thought you should know. And if whatever happened in Diagon Alley was just a mistake, I'll understand. And I'll understand if you still just think of me as Ron's little sister, but I..." as she struggled to find her words, Harry bent down and kissed her. Just like the last time this had happened, it took both Ginny and Harry by surprise. Then they pulled apart.  
"Umm" Ginny was blushing as she looked down   
"Sorry, I shouldn't have interrupted you. I just wanted you to know I like you too." Harry murmured grinning.  
"No that's ok." Ginny replied, "I'm glad that you did."  
"Good." He pulled her closer to kiss her again, but they were cut short by a shrill scream as Hermione and Ron came running around the corner.  
"What's wrong?" Ginny cried looking from Hermione who was shaking dreadfully to Ron who was white as Nearly Headless Nick. Ron motioned for them to be quiet and then pointed frantically toward the Forbidden Forest. Harry looked and instantly wished he hadn't.   
  
Treading around the edge of the Forest were about a dozen of the most grotesque creatures he had ever seen. As he tried to figure out what these things could be, Ginny grasped his hand. She too was now shaking. Harry didn't blame her.   
  
The creatures each seemed to be a motley mix of different animal parts. Some had the heads of pigs and the bodies of bears or mutated humans. Others sported the hooves and legs of bulls topped with a strange serpent or fish. Harry had never seen anything so chilling.   
Harry was glad they were so far off because he was sure that if he ever came closer to one of these abnormal, twisted abominations, he would be sick. Luckily for Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione the things soon disappeared into the Forest. But what were they doing there? This question and visions of the horrible creatures haunted all four of their troubled dreams that night.   
  
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We hope you liked it. We'll try to get the next part up soon, but it will definitely encourage us if y'all review. Thanx and have a nice day!  
  
  
  
  



	4. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: we: Gibby, Winsey, and Stan do not own any of these characters, they belong to JK Rowling. Nor do we own the interesting birds in our story, they are are based on birds form Persian myths.  
  
Anyway please read, review, and enjoy!  
  
  
Part Three: September Surprises  
  
The next morning, Harry rolled out of bed groggily. He hadn't gotten hardly any sleep the night before, and he was not ready for the sun to be up. Eventually, though, he got dressed and walked with the others to King's Cross Station. They caught the Hogwarts Express just in time, and found a compartment to themselves. Fred and George couldn't sit still for long though, and soon they were off in other compartments, scaring  
first years with stories of the evil professors. Hermione was engrossed in her schoolbooks, because, as she said, "you can never be too prepared." Harry and  
Ginny were very tired, but Ron was wide-awake.  
  
"Hey, Harry, I wonder who the new Defense Against  
Dark Arts teacher will be." he mused. "I hope Snape gets lost on the way to Hogwarts...what's your favorite flavor of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans..." Ron continued babbling on about various subjects, until finally Hermione told him to shut up.  
"Excuse me, Hermione, but maybe I don't have to listen to you!" Ron said, sticking his tongue out.  
"Well, if you could just stop talking for two seconds, maybe you wouldn't have to! I swear, I think you talk just to hear your own voice!" Hermione complained. Ron, quite indignant, got up in a huff.  
"Maybe I'll find Fred and George. They're certainly having more fun than I am," he snapped, storming out of the compartment. Hermione watched him go with a  
look that was almost regretful, but then she shook her head and buried it deep within her books.  
"So, Ginny, what classes do you have this year?" Harry asked, attempting to make conversation.  
"Um," Ginny looked up and blushed deeply. "Well, I have the usual, of course...then I'm taking Divination this year. I hope it's not as terrible as everyone  
says it is."  
"Oh, it is. Professor Trelawney is crazy!" Harry said. Then there was an awkward silence. Ginny seemed intent upon examining every thread in the seat she was  
sitting on, and Harry was looking out the window.  
"Well, anyway..." Harry started, then stopped quickly. He didn't know what to say. How come he couldn't just talk to her? He shook his head in disgust with  
himself. "I am really useless," he thought to himself.  
  
Ginny, meanwhile, was doing some thinking herself. She was very confused. Harry Potter had kissed her, yet now there was nothing but silence between them. Was it her move now? What should she do? Since she couldn't answer those questions, she went back to examining the threads. Really, they were QUITE interesting.  
  
Both seemed relieved when the Hogwarts Express finally came to a screeching halt. Ron, Fred, and George had returned to the compartment, and all were more than ready for the Great Feast.   
  
The Great Feast and the first few days of school went by in a flash, and before they knew it Ron, Hermione, and Harry were on their way to the first Care of  
Magical Creatures class.  
"Hey, guys, lets hurry and get there early so we can  
talk to Hagrid," Hermione said, walking quickly. "I wonder what kind of crazy creature Hagrid has this year!" Ron laughed. Harry laughed with him until Hermione shot them both a reproving look. Then Ron pulled a face, and Harry laughed again. Hermione  
scowled back.  
  
When they got to Hagrid's cabin, they didn't see him anywhere. They could, however, hear him.  
"Come on, me pretty, settle down. The kids'll be here any minute!" Ron, Harry, and Hermione followed the sound of his voice until they finally found him in the  
back. When they turned the corner, all three gasped in amazement.  
"Oh my gosh! What the..." Ron's mouth formed a perfect 'O'.  
"Hagrid!" was all that Hermione could muster, and Harry just stood speechless.   
  
Before them they saw a huge bird, whose wingspan must have been 6 feet.  
It's wings, though, were not made of feathers, but rather they were bedecked with jewels, mainly rubies, from top to bottom. The jewels glittered and flashed in the sun. These wings were stunning beyond description. The beak, instead of being the normal color, was white gold, and its ocean blue eyes sparkled as if the bird knew more than anyone  
supposed. Hagrid, was just managing to put the bird back in its cage when they turned the corner. All along the edge of Hagrid's fence were huge cages housing the magnificent birds. Hermione was the first to regain her power of speech.  
"Hagrid, what are those? Where did you get them?" she  
asked.  
"Hi, Hermione, Harry, Ron. Nice ta see ya." He replied.  
"Hi, Hagrid. Really, what are these things?" Ron asked, mouth still open.  
"Well, I should wait till class starts...but these little beauties are Simurgs." He said, grinning widely.  
"Simurgs?" questioned Harry. "What are Simurgs? I have never heard of those before."  
"Wall, they were originally from Greece, but these here are from the mountains of eastern Europe. Thay're magical birds."  
"Well, of course. This IS the care of MAGICAL creatures. But what do they do?" Hermione inquired.  
"I'll tell ya all about it in class." Hagrid answered. "Right now, I gotta feed 'em before everybody gets here."  
"We can help you," said Harry, as they watched Hagrid pick up an enormous bag of bird feed.  
"Okay, but put a lot of food in thar bowls. They are just babies, and they need nutrients."  
"Babies? They're only babies?" sputtered Ron.  
"Yep."  
"How is that possible?" he muttered, as he dumped a bunch of feed into a bowl. The bird looked up at him, and its eyes seemed to thank him. Soon the rest of the Gryffindors were there, as well as the Slytherins. Once again, they had to share this  
class with them, and Harry dreaded it. Hagrid explained what the enormous birds were to the class, and everyone oohed and ahhed when he took oneout of the cage.  
"These birds, thar wings have magical healing powers. They protect heroes, ya see." Hagrid mentioned.  
"Oh, how convenient, seeing as we have a BIG hero amongst us!" sneered Draco Malfoy. "Harry, are you going to take one of these birds to protect you?" Crabbe, Goyle, and the rest of the Slytherins laughed. Harry just ignored them. He didn't want to get in  
trouble so early in the year. But he knew he would get back at them. The question was, how?  
  
After Care of Magical Creatures was over, Ron, Hermione, and Harry walked back to the Gryffindor Common Room. Ron and Harry were discussing the problem  
of the Gryffindor Keeper for the Quidditch team.  
"What are we going to do? The team needs to start practicing, especially if they have to train a new Keeper," commented Ron.  
"Ron, why don't you try out for Keeper? You would be great, don't you think Hermione?" Harry asked, looking over at her.  
"Sure, Ron! You've always wanted to be on the Quidditch team," she said.  
"Nah, I'm no good. I'd really rather not," he answered, looking at the ground. Secretly, he wanted  
desperately to be on the team and he was pleased, for some reason unbeknownst to him, Hermione thought he might have a chance. He had wanted to be on the team since he was a first year. But he knew he had no chance.  
"Ron! Come on, you would be great...Aww, you know you want to.." Harry spoke convincingly, but Ron was still resisting when they got to the Common Room.  
Ginny was inside, sitting on one of the couches studying. Ron snickered when he saw her, and looked at Harry amusedly.  
"Hey, Harry, are you going to give Ginny a hello  
kiss?" he laughed. Harry hit him on the arm and went up to his dorm rather quickly,  
passing by Ginny with a muttered 'hi'. Ron and Hermione sat down with Ginny, and they all started talking about school. Ron mentioned that there had been a Quidditch match between Bulgaria and the United States the previous week.  
"Did you watch it, Hermione? Looking for your precious Vicky?" Ron said slyly.  
Hermione started to reply, but the answer was stuck in her throat. Ginny threw a warning glance at Ron, who ignored her.  
"I noticed he didn't play yesterday. Why was that? Was he crying because you weren't there to cheer him on?" Ron goaded her.  
"NO! Gosh, why can't you just SHUT UP RON!" Hermione practically screamed at him.  
"Now, now, no need to be so touchy! Gee, what stirred YOUR pot?" Ron looked a bit surprised at her outburst.  
"Well, you would be touchy too, Ron, if your friend had just d...." Ginny clapped her hand over her mouth and ran upstairs.  
"What? If my friend had what? What is she talking about Hermione?" Ron asked, looking confused.  
"RON!" screamed Hermione exasperatingly. Then she suddenly grew quiet. Hermione took a deep and shuddering breath "Victor...he, he died. He was at Quidditch practice this summer and one of the Beaters accidentally hit a Bludger really hard at his head. He was in a coma and then..." her voice trailed off as tears streamed down her cheek  
"Oh." was all Ron said. His ears turned red from embarrassment. "Gosh, I'm sorry Hermione. I didn't know. I just thought Vicky...I mean Victor...was, well, I  
don't know. But I'm really sorry." Hermione didn't answer, but just ran upstairs wiping her eyes.  
  
Ron sat there in the common room feeling as though some one had dropped stones into his stomach. Suddenly Fred and George walked in.  
"Well, there he is now!" exclaimed Fred.  
"The new Gryffindor Keeper!" George added.  
"What?" Ron got up excitedly, Hermione forgotten. "What are you talking about?"  
"Well, we were talking to the other members of the team," Fred started.  
"...and McGonagall..."said George.  
"...and they all thought you would be a great Keeper!" Fred finished. "Practice starts tomorrow. Be there."  
  
Fred and George ran upstairs to tell Harry about practice, leaving Ron to dance a little jig on the carpet. He could hardly believe his ears. Gryffindor  
Keeper! Wow!  
  
Upstairs, Hermione was thinking about Victor...and Ron. Much as Ron annoyed her, he had been really sweet when he apologized. She knew she shouldn't be crying over  
Victor, but his death had just been so unexpected. And his funeral had been so awful, his whole family grieving. Who would have though that Victor Krum, Victor Krum, could day in a Quidditch practice?  
  
Harry was thinking about Ginny. He wished things would just go back to normal. No really he wanted for else Ginny tell him what he should do. He was so confused. Plus, those creatures of Hagrid's were weighing on his mind. He was sure that there was something more to them than Hagrid had said...  
  
A/N~ sorry if you guys like Krum, but we feel he's evil and we just didn't want him to ruin things that will be happening later. Please review this and part 4 should be up soon.  
Thanx and have a great day!  



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